Improvement in haeyestees



A. RANK.

H alrvesters.

Patented May 5,1868.

)Wifi 65.565.'

NIPETES PUDTDUTHOGRAPMSL WASMINGT @nitrati faire utmtffitr.

l up, as will be hereinafter described.

AMos RANK-,or SALEM, oHio.

Letters Patent No. 77,525, dated May 5, 1868.

minatori:maarV 1N HARVESTERS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONQERN:

Be it known that I, AMOS' RANK, of Salem, inthe county of Columbiana, and State of hio, have invented certain new 'and useful Improvements in Harvcsting-3acl1incry; and Ido hereby declare that` the following-is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part. of this spcciiication, in which vFigure 1, sheet 1, is an elevation ofone side of a reaping-machine'having my improvements applied to it.

Figure '2, sheet 1, is a plan Aview of the improved draught-frame, with driving-wheels and driving-gear applied to it. v I

Figure 3, sheet 1, is a. longitudinal section through the main frame, taken in thevertical plano indicated by red line x :z: in fig. 2.

Figures 4, 5, and 6, show particularly the construction of the draught-frame.

Figures 7 and 8, sheet 2, show my improved pawl-and-ratchet device for raising and lowering t-lic Enger-bar, and sustaining it at any desired height from the ground.

Similar letters of. reference indicate corresponding partsinthe several iigure's.

The invention relates to a new and improved device, which is designed for adjusting and securing a hinged finger-bar of a harvesting-machine lat different heights-from the' ground, whereby a vibrating hand-lever, combined with a ratchet and a pawl, can be employed, and thelever moved forward or backward, at pleasure, without employing draw-rods, or other devices hitherto used for releasing the pawl from its ratchet-teeth and holdin'git Toenable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I'will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, iig. 1, I have represented my improvements applied to a machine which is arranged for mowing. By detaching the shoe, A, from its lpivoted drag-bar, B, and attaching raking and reelingdevices, with their necessary appurtenances, the machine will be adapted for cutting grain.

The draught-frame, C, whichI shall hereinafter-describe, is 'supported upon two transporting-wheels, D D",

i, both of which are applied looselyupon va transverse axle, E, and provided with ratchet or clutehwh'eels and dogs,

which will engage said drivingwheels with their axle, when the machine is drawn forward. When the machine is backed, the ratchets and dogs allow the wheels to turn loosely around their axle. The axle E has its bearings 4 in boxes upon the bottom sides of thev longitudinal bars f the frame C, so that this frame is supported upon said axle. A large bevel-spur wheel, E, is keyed upon the axle E,.o.n one side of the middle of the length thereof, which wheel engages 'with a pinion-spur wheel,a, upona shortshaft, b, 'which has its bearings in the front trans verse bar of frame C. 'Pinion-wheel a is placed loosely upon its shaft b, but is caused to turn with it by m'eans of a spring-clutch, al, which has au annular groove in its periphery, thatt'receives a lever, a2, upon the framebox G. By means of this lever the attendant can engage or disengage clutch'a, and stop vor start the 'shaft b at pleasure, while the machine is being drawn forward.

On the front emi of the shaft b a large inside spur-wheel, b', is keyed, which is closed in front, and protected l by a, shield, c, ini-oar. O n the inside of this wheel IJ', and engaging with its teeth, is a pinion-spur wheel, cl, upon a longitudinal shaft,`e. This shaft is arranged in a plane below theplane of the longitudinal shaft 6,- and is supported in hearings formed in the front and rear cross-bars of frame C, as will be further described hereinafter.

-On the rear endot` shaft e is a balance-wheel' or crank-wheehf, having a wrist-pin applied eccentrically to itsrear face, to which the pitman-rodf, which operates the sickle, is suitably attached.

On top of the main frame C, and suitably hingedthereto, at its rear end, is the frame-box G, which has the lever a2 pivoted to it, andwhich is provided with "a drivcrs seat, G, a tool-box, G2, and a housing, G3, for the upper part of the large spur-wheel F. This box forms a kind of platform for the driver, upon the open frame C, and also protects the gearing upon thisv frame. It is held down in place at its front end by a spring-latch, g1 which is secured to the shield c in a suitable manner. By dctaching'the box G from-its latch, its front end can be raised and thrown back, wh'ichywill expose the gearing on frame C. v

The finger-bar A is' hinged to the drag-bar B by means of` its shoe A, so that the points of the fingers can be adjusted, and any required degree of pitch given te them.

The drag bar B is attached, by a link and swivel-pin,` to air arm, L, which projects laterally from the grainside of the draught-frame C, in front of the transporting-wheel D, as shown in fig. 1; andthis ldrag-baris again attached to the draught-frame, near its rear end, by means of an inclined transverse brace, h. '.lhus it will .be seen that the inger-bar is free to rise and fall, and accommodate itself to the undulations ol' the ground passed over. 1

Having thus describeda harvcsting-machine which is especially adapted for my improvements, I will now proceed to describe these improvements, commencing with the draught-frame C. This frame is made of metali and I prefer to have it made of one piece of metal, so that it will be rigid and substantial, and have lno joints to work loose. Itconsists of two longitudinal bars, conncctethrogether at their front and rear ends by `means of depressed barsjj, which latter are adapted for supporting the longitudinal shafts b c, above referred to. The laterally-projecting arm i, for the diag-barV attachment, and an elevated support, are alsoconstructed upon. and constitute a part of the frame C, as shown in the drawings. v

The front depressed cross-barj of frame C is constructed with two separated bearings, k k, having a space between them, so that they afford a widebearng for sustaining the shaft b at two points. These bearings have -half-round channels in their upper surfaces, which, with the caps ll, hold the shaft b firmly, and constitute its journal-boxes. The square-headed bolts are inserted through said `journal-boxes from below, and receive nuts upon their upper ends, which can be readily removed at pleasure.

Below thesejournai-boxes is another journal-box, vwz, formed by depressing barj so far below the bearings Ic lc as to allow the cap m toibe introduced into its place and removed at pleasure.

`As the longitudinal shaft e has a bearing upon the rear cross-bar j', the front bearing on crossbar jV need not be made :i's wide as the spaces occupied by the two bearings or boxes of the shaft consequently there is left plenty of space in front and in rear of the portion m of barj for inserting the bolts through the twoV journal-boxes of shaft L. The cap m extends partly beneath the boxes of shaftb, and the bolt which sctiures this'portion of the cap to its seat is inserted through the space left between said boxes for this purpose. By thus constructing the bai-j, it will be seen that the journal-boxes of shaft b, and the front journal-box of shaftv c, are brought ina more compact space than has hitherto been accomplished; and while this is the crise, these journal-boxes are very accessible for oiling and other purposes.

The rear shield'c, of the inside spur-wheel I1', is constructed of a semicircular form, slightly greater in diameter than that of said wheel, so that the flange upen this shield will lap over the spur-wheel, as shown in fig. 3. From thelower edge of the shield c are two projecting pieces, through which the two bolts ofthe front' journal-box of shaft bpass, so that these bolts will serve to secure the shield in place also. In practice, the spring-latch g will be riveted permanently to the shield c.l

'lo the elevated laterally-projecting support of frame C, the'rear end of a longitudinal ratchet-plate, J, is

rigidly bolted. Its'front end is suitably applied to and supported by a cap orhub on the grain-side of the transporting-wheel D. To this plate J, and at a point which is concentric to certain ratchettceth,pp p, on the upper edge of this plate, a hand-lever, k, is pivoted, so as to vibrate longitudinally, and in a vertical plane. This lever carries a grooved segment, L, to which a rope or chain, s, isattached so as to lie in its groove. This chain is carried back, and passed over a grooved pulley, t, on plate J, and is again attached to the transverse .brace h', to the shoe A, or to the drag-bar Bso that by vibrating lever K, the finger-bar and its appurtenances can be raised or depressed.

0n' the inner sido of lever K, a pawl ordog, O, is pivoted, seas to engage with the teeth p, and when engaged therewith, to prevent lever K from moving forward. The pawl O may be made like any well-known pawl which is used with a ratchet. My object now is to so construct the ratchet or catch-plate that lever K can be vibrated forward or backward at pleasure, and the pawl O made to catch at any desired point where there isa ratchet-tooth. With the well-known'pawl and ratchet, it is necessary to lift the pawl, and disengage it from the ratchet-tecth when' it is desired to adjust the pawl forward, or in a direction opposite to the pitch of the teeth, and contrivances have been employed, in connection with pawls upon long adjusting-levers, for this purpose. My improvement consists in having notches orvspaces v v, between the ratchet-teeth, of such depth as will allow the pawl O to drop into them, and turn back when the lever K is moved forward for the purpose of lowering the finger-bar, as shown iu figs. 7 and S, sheet i?. Under this arrangement, if it is desired to adjust the pawl O forward one tooth or notch, the lever l must be moved back until the pawl falls into one of the spaces v. Then the lever must be moved forward until the pawl drops into one of thespaces c forward of the intended tooth or notch, when lever K can then be moved back, and its pawl made to catch at the point desired.

The spaces a may be made at intervals of one, two, or more teeth `of the ratchet, if desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is In combination with a vibrating lifting-lever,.K, and its pawl Q', I claim the construction of the ratchetplate J', with spaces v between the teeth p thereof, substantially as described.

- AMOS RANK.

Witnesses Taos. S. Bunn, C. W. CADwALLsnsn. 

